BASL vows to fight country’s executive to preserve judiciary’s independence

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) is to wage a battle to preserve the independence of judiciary from the pressure being asserted from the nation’s executive, said the legal body’s chairman Saliya Peiris on Sunday, emphaising that attempts were being made to systematically ignore court rulings.

Speaking during a seminar held in the southern town of Weligama, Peiris said that the legal fraternity should now allow the executives to put the judges under stress. 

“We have seen that the executive is unwilling to obey court orders and attempts are being made to systematically ignore court rulings,” Peiris said.

“We must not allow the executive to put the judges under stress,” Peiris further stressed in a reference to the ongoing spat over the non holding of the local council elections.

The Supreme Court earlier this month issued an interim order asking the state officials not to hinder the election by not releasing the funds.

At least two government parliamentarians had raised a privileges issue in parliament over the interim order which they claimed was an abuse of parliamentary privileges.

Peiris said that the executive meaning the President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s decision to not conduct the election was unacceptable and the use of parliament to bring pressure on the judiciary was an unhealthy development.

“All of us must fight against it,” Peiris was quoted as saying by PTI.